February 5, 2012

Celebrating good times - the Social Horror's take

Weddings and other family functions are a two-edged sword. Lots of fun but lots of socializing too. Social gatherings are fun but also get a little tiring after some time...the clothes, the food, the chit chat and the rest of the gossip. But if you take away all the 'in your face' aspects, these gatherings make for an interesting experience.

These are 'her' experiences...the social horror's I mean. And any coincidence to anyone you might know of is purely coincidental...really!

The Social Horror and Jewelry

She's never been a fan of jewelry and related accessories. Ironically though, she always found herself caught in the thick of conversations about it. Questions about what stone it is, whether it's set in gold, who made it, which store it came from, how much it cost were always thrown at her. Not one to get caught without having a retort, these situations were hard for her as she never had a good-enough answer...almost all the time. So she took the easy way out - ask amma!

The Social Horror and Beauty

You've become so fair! Your complexion is lovely! Your skin is glowing! As much as these sound like fantastic compliments, the social horror found that there was actually a hidden question in them which she was expected to answer voluntarily - what have you done to yourself? What cream have you been using? Which parlor have you gone to? Again, not one to spend much time in parlors, not having a suitable answer to these questions only made her look a bit suspect...like she didn't want to share her secret beauty tips! Use kadala maavu on your face - her planned retort for the next time!

The Social Horror and Clothes

I love your salwar! What material is it? Who designed it? Who stitched it? The answer raced through her mind even before the questions were asked...I have no idea! Whoever stitched it is the person who said they will give it to me the soonest, really that's it. Really! I'm not lying! No, it's not that I don't want to give you the name...hang on, let me find the bill!

The Social Horror and Music/Dance

She was good at music but not good at dance. Did that mean that she had to sing every time there was an occasion? Did it? Dodging requests with excuses like bad throat, out of practice and so on she mostly escaped but had to put in considerable effort to come up with 'good-enough' excuses. Dancing, on the other hand, was never a part of boring Tam-Bram wedding customs, so she was spared. The 'two left feet syndrome' yet unexplored...in a 'high-free' setting anyway!

The Social Horror and Mehendi :)

She did not like mehendi...the smell, the awful color when it started to fade...everything! But as an important part of the wedding she was about to take part it, she just HAD to get it. After some dodging and time-delaying tactics (gone wrong), she got a wee bit on one of her palms. Unacceptable was the verdict! She had to get more! She was one of the important ones at the ceremony...no, she wasn't the bride but still! So what did she do? Did she get out of it or did she cave in?